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A weighty matter |
10/08/2010
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| With an aging population and more obese people, there comes the problem of how to lift them in and out of bed. |
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Coffee time challenge: A new wave? |
13/05/2010
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| Every sailor, professional or amateur, is aware of the immense power that storms can exert on their vessel. Wind power has been harnessed for thousands of years but what about wave and other forms of ocean power? |
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Keeping it in the bag |
08/04/2010
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| How do you ensure that what you put into a bag doesn't fall out when it is the wrong way up? |
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Wires and wherefores |
11/02/2010
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| Anyone who has ever had to take the back or lid off a piece of electrical or electronic equipment will be aware of the problem of trapped wires. |
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Coffee Time Challenge - January |
05/01/2010
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| Making life easier for people and coming up with new and improved ways of doing things is broadly what engineering is about. |
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Re-inventing the wheelchair |
07/12/2009
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| Although wheelchair designs have progressed greatly in recent years there are two common areas where they are still lacking. |
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Coffee time challenge: The point of the matter |
09/11/2009
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| Getting stabbed with a hypodermic needle is not just something that happens to heroes and heroines in movies; it is something that is suffered by healthcare professionals every day. |
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Going through walls |
06/10/2009
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| Sometimes it is necessary to be able to go through walls, locked doors or ceilings in a real hurry. |
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Making it hotter |
15/07/2009
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| Can you come up with a cooker that harnesses the power of the Sun and which delivers hot food towards the end of the day? |
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Getting it right |
09/06/2009
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| Quality has to be the obsession of any manufacturing operation but to err is human, according to Alexander Pope. |
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Sinking railways |
14/05/2009
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| Subsiding railway tracks have been a problem ever since George Stephenson had to face up to the problem of how to build the Liverpool and Manchester railway across the Chat Moss peat bog in 1826 |
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Pouring with safety |
08/04/2009
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| Tea remains a favourite beverage throughout with UK, even if an increasing number of people prefer coffee |
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Harnessing the cork |
13/03/2009
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| While Formula One champions famously spray champagne over everyone within reach, there remains the minor hazard of the cork. |
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Herding cats |
17/02/2009
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| Cats, although much loved, are most difficult creatures to manage, especially in the modern era of the cat flap, when owners who are often out at work all day, but wish to allow their pets to enter and leave the house as they please |
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Having a field day |
07/01/2009
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| Whether you’re a professional or a DIY-er, most maintenance work calls for the use of a number of tools and the indispensable ‘magic’ bench on which to conjure up the finished articles. |
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The lighter side of life |
10/12/2008
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| Looking for a light in the dark is an experience all of us have to go through from time to time, but it’s something we could no doubt do without. |
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Warming to a tough task |
14/11/2008
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| Now that winter is setting in, we are entering the season when many people suffer from cold hands |
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From astronomic to gastronomic |
10/10/2008
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| In this age of astronomical gas prices, it’s remarkable how crude the design of the average gas cooker remains and how similar it is to what was used by our primitive ancestors when cooking on open fires |
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Battle of the bulge |
15/09/2008
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| UK three-pin power plugs are a masterpiece of safety. Solid, chunky items with an integral fuse, they are almost impossible to render dangerous – unless stuck in a socket and struck heavily with a sledgehammer! |
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Opening without hands |
19/08/2008
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| If you have ever had to open a door with your arms full, you will have appreciated that there is a problem with door handles |
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